Shadows of Mars (Broken Stars Book 1)

by I. O. Adler

  “This enemy is what blasted Earth two years ago?”

  “Yes, although it is conjecture whether Earth was targeted or suffered collateral damage from the weapon the enemy used against the fleet. Those who have been marooned in your system must now decide how best to use their remaining resources. The Cordice have made it clear they will leave once they have harvested enough fuel. Their ship and this harvester are the least damaged. The other survivors have joined their ships together and are attempting to negotiate with the Cordice.”

  “So when this enemy returns, what does that mean for Earth?”

  “Unknown. Some speculate the enemy doesn’t even notice non-spacefaring civilizations and only targets those which have mastered interstellar travel. There are nuances to this theory. But according to the records of my kind’s observations, hundreds of intelligent races have been eliminated and their home systems shattered.”

  Agent Barrett’s face grew hard. “What was your coalition doing here?”

  “A meeting among survivors. Message buoys can only convey so much information. The coalition wished to trade news, research, and decide on a future course. Some like the Cordice want to leave the galaxy and the enemy behind. Others have decided it’s best to either hide or keep moving from system to system. A few are willing to fight.”

  “And you brought the enemy here to our doorstep.”

  “This wasn’t intentional. The enemy is not omnipresent. They search for large stellar obstructions and antimatter drive signatures. Slower reactor drives and navigation which avoids what some speculate are their travel arteries are methods to avoid detection.”

  “I guess someone screwed up big time,” Barrett said. “So how long before this enemy returns to finish what they started?”

  “Unknown, Raymond Barrett.”

  “That cuts it. We need this ship. Carmen, we have to figure out how to give me control. What can you find out about this encryption? Can you add me as an authorized user?”

  “We agreed to find my mom,” Carmen said.

  “We don’t know if she can be moved or if these Cordice people will hand her over. They may not even be willing to bring us home. And we have no way to talk to Earth right now. Everything is counting on us taking this spaceship back. We need to learn what we can from it so we can defend ourselves.”

  “Success in such a conflict would be impossible,” She Who Waits said.

  “The attack happened two years ago. Every day we spend preparing means our chances improve. This ship is our only chance.”

  “The Cordice who designed this vessel lost fifteen systems, including planets and orbital assets. They had four stars from which they harvested light energy. They are one of seventeen on record who have mastered artificial black holes. None of these preparations saved them.”

  Barrett looked deflated, but then he rallied. “But they’re not us. Carmen, do as you’re told.”

  “This is stupid,” Carmen said. “What difference will a few hours make? If we steal the ship, they’ll come looking for it.”

  “This statement is correct,” She Who Waits said. “The Cordice will want their harvester back. The other survivors may attempt to retrieve it as well.”

  “None of them came for it when Sylvia Vincent flew it to Earth. From what I’ve heard, the Cordice and these marooned survivors weren’t willing to try to communicate with us about what had happened. You brought this trouble to our doorstep. I’m taking this ship back to Earth. Once we study it, we’ll return it.”

  “That wasn’t the deal,” Carmen said.

  “The deal was made in bad faith. You want your mom and your sister to have a home they can return to? We don’t have a choice.”

  “We have a choice. I can’t give you the ship. Not when we’re this close.”

  He drew the pistol from his thigh holster and pointed it at the bot. His hands trembled and he licked his lips.

  Crazy. He was crazy. But she didn’t know what to do. She Who Waits didn’t react. Jenna stirred from her couch, her eyes wide.

  “Don’t do this,” Carmen said.

  Barrett fixed his gaze down the sights. “Don’t make me ask again.”

  Carmen disconnected. She drew in a sharp breath as she returned to her own body. The bot went dark.

  “How do I take control?” Barrett asked. He turned to face her and repeated the question but she had heard him.

  “Use my couch. I disconnected. But I don’t know how you’ll get the ship to listen to you. Try to lie back and focus on the ship. Just put the gun away.”

  “Not a chance.”

  He went to take her place on the couch. “Move. In fact I want all of you out of this room. This is too important to risk. I don’t want to hurt any of you.”

  Carmen backed away, her eyes on the pistol. She Who Waits flashed the diamond sparkles before gliding towards the open doorway.

  Barrett had lowered the gun but it was still pointing in her direction. “I’ll figure this out. Once the ship system lets me in, I’ll take care of us. I’ll get us back home. Once we do that, don’t worry. We won’t abandon your mom.”

  “I want to believe you.”

  “No more time to argue. Get out.”

  She backed through the doorway and almost bumped into She Who Waits. The alien radiated heat. But Jenna hadn’t followed.

  Barrett looked to Jenna. “You, too. Move.”

  Jenna was once again lying back and she had her eyes closed. The bot’s head lit up and Jenna’s face appeared. The Jenna bot began to stride towards Barrett. He spun and fired. The bot’s head went dark as the bullet smashed a hole through it.

  Carmen screamed.

  But the bot kept moving. It swatted Agent Barrett’s gun hand. He howled with pain and scrambled off the couch, scurrying to avoid the robot as it pursued him. The Jenna bot snatched up the gun. Crushed it.

  Barrett had his injured hand pressed against his chest as he retreated to the far wall. Jenna dropped the destroyed weapon, its pieces scattering on the floor.

  “I’m sorry,” Jenna said.

  “You broke my hand!”

  Carmen moved to her sister’s couch. “Pulling your gun was stupid. Jenna, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’ve been listening. I’ll take us to Mom.”

  “You did good. But we’re going to have to do something about him.”

  With little prompting, Jenna created an identical room next door to theirs equipped with a crash couch and water fountain. Barrett didn’t even have to enter the hallway. A new door opened in the wall and the Jenna bot escorted him out.

  Barrett was breathing hard and his face was covered in sweat as he nursed his hand. “You can’t keep me prisoner.”

  Carmen laid a couple of the food bars on the sink after stuffing one into her mouth. Dry, as advertised, but not the worst thing she had eaten. “We don’t want this either. I’ll check in later. But you’d better lie down. From what I saw, slowing this thing isn’t going to be fun for the passengers.”

  They left him standing there. Jenna closed the wall behind them.

  Carmen approached She Who Waits. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t speak for all of us, but we’re not like this. At least not all the time.”

  Her response lacked any reproach. “All races have their capacity for violence. You’ve experienced mental stress beyond your capacity. I recommend rest and food.”

  “I guess we all do need a nap. For what it’s worth, I apologize.”

  “Designate Raymond Barrett will require medical attention.”

  “Is there anything this ship can do? Or can you help?”

  “I don’t have the facilities or resources. This ship is lacking certain key elements to manufacture appropriate pharmacological products suitable to your species. But I can analyze his injury and bring wraps and bandages.”

  Carmen didn’t have to wait long. Another drone, or maybe the same one, puttered into their sphere and dropped off another box. Inside were several lengt
hs of a stretchy plastic-like cloth. It would have to do.

  “Jenna, open the wall. I’m going to take care of his hand. He isn’t, you know, lurking on the other side waiting to jump me, is he?”

  Despite the display on the Jenna bot’s head having been destroyed, her sister spoke clearly. “He’s sitting on his couch.”

  The wall vanished and Carmen entered. Barrett’s couch had morphed into a reasonable facsimile of a recliner chair. All he needed was a remote in one hand and a beer in the other. He stared at her with narrow eyes. His jaw was tight.

  “I’m going to fix you up,” she said.

  She Who Waits joined her at his couch. Barrett offered his arm but was unable to stretch out the fingers. The hand was red and beginning to swell. Carmen had the wrappings but didn’t know where to begin. He winced even before she touched him.

  “I don’t know exactly what to do here.”

  He spoke through gritted teeth. “Wrap it around the hand. Tight but not too tight.”

  She nodded and went to work. But as she bound the hand he cried out. She flinched, brushing his thumb, which resulted in another yelp.

  Even as she worked up the courage to try again, She Who Waits’ surface pulsed and rippled. Two thin tentacles pushed through the sandy murk and translucent shell.

  “Get…get away from me!” Agent Barrett screamed.

  The tentacles withdrew but wriggled before them. The swirling mass beneath the alien’s shell appeared to hold more moving shapes. Carmen wondered how many more tentacles lurked inside.

  “I am trying to assist,” She Who Waits said.

  Carmen reached over and touched one of the tentacles. She felt a slight tingle and the hairs on her arms rose. A tentacle quivered and tapped her finger.

  “It would be best if I did this alone,” Carmen said.

  She Who Waits retracted her limb. The glassy sheen of her suit calmed and the sandy swirls resumed their churn. She backed off.

  When Carmen tried again with Barrett’s hand, he sneered. “How about you wash up.”

  “If She Who Waits meant to hurt us, she’d have done it earlier.”

  “We have your kind in our agency, you know. People who actually think the Big Wipe was some horrible mistake. Just remember that if they knew there was the possibility that this could have happened, these refugees could have warned us. Or they could have held their meeting in another solar system instead of dragging their trouble into ours.”

  “I’m sure it was a mistake. We make them all the time, don’t we?”

  “A mistake. Right. Well, this was it. This was our chance for our world. You’ve blown it. We don’t know these aliens. You can’t assume they think like we do. She Who Waits wouldn’t take this ship back from us, but that doesn’t mean the others you’re in a hurry to go meet won’t grab it and kill us just because they can.”

  He winced as she cinched the dressing around the hand. She had no idea if it would help, and worried as the entire hand was growing dark.

  “I’ll check it later,” Carmen said curtly.

  He cradled the hand and reclined onto his couch. Jenna closed the wall as they departed.

  She Who Waits lingered near the doorway to the corridor. Had Agent Barrett’s reaction surprised her? Or offended her?

  Carmen set the remaining bandages back in the box. “You say you’ve been watching us. Any surprises for you now that you’ve met us face-to-face?”

  “All my interactions have been informative.”

  She laughed. “That’s very…diplomatic. Is there anything else you can tell me before we meet with the Cordice caretaker? I realize we haven’t put our best foot forward. We’ve stolen their property, we’ve shown you we can be violent, but can you help us tell them that we come in peace?”

  “I will assist in communicating your thoughts to them.”

  Jenna’s voice broadcast loud from the bot. “Hey, Car? The ship is recommending we start our deceleration if we wish it to cause the least amount of discomfort. It says we need to get on our couches now. We shouldn’t wait any longer.”

  Carmen had a hundred questions for She Who Waits and a hundred more after that. How had they been watching Earth? Why hadn’t they made contact? And even more to the point, had the translator spoken with her mother? But the questions would have to wait.

  She needed to rest and collect her own thoughts. Because whoever these Cordice were, she couldn’t assume they’d be anywhere near as polite or accommodating as She Who Waits.

  Chapter Twenty

  The ship’s turn and deceleration made Carmen’s stomach churn as she was once again pressed into her couch. Her bones ached. She fought the urge to pass out. Wanted to keep an eye on Jenna even as her sister’s body lay still and silent. She was still plugged into the ship and no doubt busy.

  As the pressure continued to build she clutched the couch and knew how much worse it would be if she didn’t have it to cushion her body against the forces at work. It went on and on. Was this normal? Was Jenna doing it right? She couldn’t breathe enough to ask.

  Sometime during the maneuver She Who Waits had departed and the door to the corridor had closed. The bot that Barrett had hit with the bullet continued to stand nearby, its lights out, its shattered face looking like a broken window.

  What if Agent Barrett had used his weapon on one of them? What if his bullet had put a hole in the ship? Even more disquieting for its implications, what if he had killed She Who Waits? Whatever enemy was out there would have company, as Earth would have declared war with a single pull of the trigger.

  Time for anger later.

  If she survived her sister’s attempt at turning her into jelly during deceleration, Carmen still had to think of what to say to the Cordice. Again, she was overthinking it. But she wasn’t sure “play it cool” would suffice. And her mom’s path of excelling at all costs had contributed to Carmen’s current dilemma.

  She dozed. When she woke up the sensation of pressure had vanished.

  “Jen, are we done?”

  Her sister moaned from the couch next to hers.

  Carmen rose and went to her sister’s side. “Are you okay?”

  Jenna’s eyes fluttered. “It’s so much…overwhelming. I just…”

  “Take a breather. Relax. Do you need anything?”

  “Sleep. I have to sleep.”

  Jenna was out. Carmen sat with her for a moment. Could only imagine being plugged into the ship for so long. Had they completed their trip? She considered trying to tie into the ship herself. Instead she went to check on Agent Barrett.

  The wall opened without prompting. She’d have to ask if Jenna had meant to leave it unlocked. But Barrett remained where she had left him on his couch. He was awake. He watched as she examined him. His hand had ballooned.

  “I think we’re here,” Carmen said. “Are you going to cause trouble?”

  He gave her a hard stare. He winced as she re-wrapped the hand. At least it hadn’t darkened. She’d have to ask She Who Waits if there was anything else that could be done to make him more comfortable.

  “Try to relax. We’re getting my mom and going home.”

  Barrett began to get up but had trouble steadying himself. “Let me do this with you.”

  “No. You’re going to wait here. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

  She didn’t wait to see if her faux parent voice she sometimes used with her nephews would work. The wall went solid behind her as she exited his room and entered the curved corridor to begin the walk towards She Who Waits’ ship. She touched each wall as she went. New doorways opened along either side.

  Carmen realized Jenna must have changed a setting, allowing her full access to the ship without having to connect. It explained her being able to access Barrett’s room. If she weren’t so groggy the notion of having a place like this under her control might have made her giddy.

  So much could be learned with the harvester.

  Barrett’s notion to bring the sh
ip home wasn’t crazy. Earth needed technology like this. But stealing it would only bring new problems. Who were these Cordice and the other marooned alien refugees? If their enemy had struck two years ago, was there a chance they wouldn’t come back? Barrett’s mistake was in thinking rescuing her mom wasn’t important compared to keeping the harvester.

  But Carmen knew her mother. Sylvia Vincent had been rescued by the Cordice just after the enemy’s attack. She would have learned as much as possible. That knowledge alone would be worth the risk of handing the Cordice their ship back.

  She Who Waits stood in the columned chamber just inside her vessel. No couch or seat was in sight. Had she been standing during their maneuver and deceleration?

  Carmen wiped sweat from her palms. “I think I’m ready. Can you call the Cordice?”

  “I’ve been attempting to make contact during our transit. Designate Cordice caretaker still isn’t answering.”

  “What could that mean? Do they sleep or hibernate or is there some protocol we need to address?”

  “The caretaker has periods of inactivity, but he wouldn’t fail to answer if able. Your question of protocol is well received and I take this into account with other species. But the Cordice require no formalities. Perhaps the caretaker has experienced an equipment malfunction, as their communication node remains open.”

  “They requested your help. So this caretaker must be expecting you. How close are we to their home ship?”

  She Who Waits’ sand flashed yellow. “We’ve matched orbits around Mars. But if they aren’t able to receive the harvester, we will need to remain in place until they reply. I will continue my efforts.”

  “If I understand correctly, my mom connected to the harvester while on board the Cordice ship by using a bot. Yet she talked to us when we were still on Earth while over there. Is there any way I can try to contact her?”

  “If designate caretaker or the Cordice haven’t closed that connection on their end, yes. You will need to connect using the harvester’s interface. The Cordice will undoubtedly see your attempts to communicate with designate Sylvia Vincent. Is that wise?”